Have you outgrown your planning process?

Nobody wakes up thinking "we need a new system". They think "why are we late again?", or "how did we miss that change?"

Trace those moments back and the cause is rarely people not trying hard enough. It's usually the way materials and production are run: data that's technically there but not trustworthy, a plan that isn't feasible, stock that's visible but not usable, engineering changes that don't reliably reach purchasing and production.

A process can still work and have been outgrown, if it only works because experienced people keep checking and correcting it. That's true whether you plan in spreadsheets, in an ERP, or in a mix of both.

• What do we need to buy, when, and from whom, based on reality rather than hope?
• What can we actually build this week, given capacity, constraints and work in progress?
• What does an engineering change do to orders, stock and schedules?
• What's at risk, such as late purchase orders, shortages or bottlenecks, before it becomes urgent?

If answering any of these means pulling people and files together, the statements below will show you where.

Score how things work in a normal week, not how they're supposed to work.

• 0: no, never, or we avoid it
• 1: sometimes, or only for certain products or people
• 2: mostly, but there are still gaps
• 3: yes, consistently, across the whole business

Inventory truth

• Our inventory accuracy is consistently high, not just "it should be".
• Goods receipts, stock movements and issues to jobs happen in the system, not on paper to enter later.
• We can trust on-hand, allocated and available stock without checking it by hand.
• We can see why stock is missing (adjustments, scrap, substitutions) and fix the cause.

Planning that matches the shop floor

• Production plans reflect real capacity: work centers, people, shifts and constraints.
• Work orders are issued with the right materials, revisions and instructions the first time.
• When priorities change, the plan updates quickly and everyone sees the same picture.

Engineering and change control

• BOMs are accurate, structured and revision-controlled, and production uses the released version.
• Engineering changes reliably reach purchasing and production without depending on what a few people know.
• Substitutes and alternates are handled cleanly: approved, visible and traceable.

Purchasing and suppliers

• Lead times are maintained and reflect how suppliers actually perform.
• Late purchase orders and material risks are flagged early enough to act.
• Buyers don't rely on personal spreadsheets to manage what's due and what's critical.

Management visibility

• We can see one view of demand, supply, work in progress and capacity without stitching reports together.
• We can spot slow-moving and obsolete stock early and act on it.
• Exceptions such as shortages, late orders and bottlenecks are obvious, and it's clear who owns each one.

Add up your scores for a total out of 48.

0 to 16: the business runs on workarounds

The business functions, but only because certain people hold it together. Expect frequent shortages and expediting, gaps between engineering, purchasing and production, stock you don't trust, and delivery dates that feel unpredictable. Decisions get made on partial information, and time goes on validating data instead of acting on it.

A low score isn't a reason to wait. Visible planning pain is one of the strongest signs that MaXXflow fits, provided you're willing to improve the data and process behind it.

17 to 32: a system is in place, but it isn't controlling the work

This is common where an ERP or MRP is installed but the real planning happens elsewhere. Expect plans that look good on paper but aren't feasible, manual checks before committing to customers, engineering changes that reach the floor late, and dashboards that report history rather than risk.

You're close. What's missing is a tighter link between what's captured on the floor and in the warehouse, and the plan itself. If an ERP is part of your picture, see Already running an ERP.

33 to 48: the foundations are solid

You have the data discipline that makes planning output trustworthy. The next step is moving from reporting to a view of what matters today. With reliable data, MaXXflow's AI can summarize shortages and late supply, identify exceptions and planning risks, and help you see what's likely to break next week before it breaks.

If your current system already handles BOMs, inventory, purchasing, production and reporting this well, be honest about whether there's a gap left to close. MaXXflow may not add enough value unless there is.

The most useful result often isn't the score. It's the statements that made you pause. Hesitation usually points to one of these:

• Inventory accuracy isn't stable, so any planning output becomes noise. See Cash tied up in the wrong stock.
• BOMs and revisions aren't controlled end to end, so purchasing and production drift apart. See BOMs don't reach production intact.
• Capacity isn't modeled, so schedules don't hold. See Delivery dates you can't stand behind.
• Purchasing depends on individuals rather than the system, so supplier risk stays invisible until it's too late. See Shortages found too late.
• Dashboards exist but don't drive action, so management sees problems after the damage is done. See Reports that arrive too late.

These usually aren't faults in one piece of software. They're signs that the information running the operation isn't connected.

A score shows where the process hurts. Whether a new approach will work also depends on your willingness to improve. MaXXflow relies on process ownership, data discipline and user adoption. Your data doesn't need to be perfect, but you do need to be willing to improve it.

Five questions worth answering honestly:

1. Is improving planning visibility a current business priority?
2. Who would need to be involved in changing the process?
3. Do you have internal owners for BOM, inventory, purchasing and production data?
4. Would the team be open to moving critical planning out of spreadsheets?
5. What would need to be true for the change to count as a success?

Is MaXXflow right for you? sets out the signs of a good fit, and of a poor one. Roles and ownership covers who you'll need on your side.